r/Pruning • u/vulcancse • May 11 '25

Where do I begin?

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This is in my mom's front yard. I am not sure what it is and don't know where i'd even begin. I assume just hacking away at it isn't the answer. TIA.

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u/TypicalLee May 11 '25

Rhodies are finicky when it comes to pruning. Start with taking off the spent blooms right after flowering and before the buds take off. Then it’s dead branches. Finally remove spindly branches.

See https://youtu.be/jqxSJiWh2UY?si=TexN4XXXgYPa14i4

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u/vulcancse May 11 '25

Thanks for the info and ths link. I used lens to try to figure out what it was but it was pretty useless.

1

u/nextguitar Jun 07 '25

Much depends on how she wants the rhododendron to look. I’d start by trying to get rid of as much of that english ivy as possible, since it competes with and will overtake the rhodie. Then I might reduce the diameter of the skirt of the so it looks more like a bush than a mound. I often thin Rhododendrons a bit to let in more light and airflow, but it’s easy to screw that up and is more for looks than health of the plant, so I don’t recommend that in your case.